Scandal - Joseon namnyeo sangyeoljisa (2003)

Director:

Je-yong Lee

Writers:

Dae-woo Kim (writer)
Hyeon-jeong Kim (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 2003 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Based on the novel 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' this film is set in aristocratic 18th-century Korea at the end of the Chosun Dynasty...

Plot Keywords:

18th Century | Korea | Foreign Language Adaptation | Hanbok | Tragic Ending

Awards:

5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Mi-suk Lee	...	Madam Jo
Do-yeon Jeon	...	Suk
Yong-jun Bae	...	Jo-won
Hyeon-jae Jo	...	Kwon In-ho
So-yeon Lee	...	So-ok
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ban-ya Choi	...	Chu-wol
Ha-kyeong Kim

Also Known As:

Scandal - Chosun nam nyo sang yeol jisa (South Korea) (alternative transliteration)
The Scandal (International: English title)
Untold Scandal (International: English title)

Runtime:

124 min (25 fps)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Sweden:7 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R(A) | Japan:R-18 | UK:18

Company:

B.O.M. Film Productions Co.

Trivia:

Replaced 2046 (2004) as the closing film at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Movie Connections:

Version of Dangerous Liaisons (2005) (V)

Beautiful and moving and perfectly excellent

I believe this is the best version of 'Dangerous Liaisons' yet filmed.

Going in, I expected nothing from this movie, as it had to compare with the other three versions of the story I have seen: The classic Dangerous Liaisons (Close/Malkovich/Pfeiffer), the more entertaining but less memorable Valmont (Bening/Firth/Tilly) and the worthy but inferior Cruel Intentions.

However, this Korean version was so stunningly well-produced in every way that it has to be pronounced the superior version of all. The cast was attractive and skillful, the sets and production values were so slick and artful that "perfection" is the only word that comes to mind. The story was thoroughly captivating from beginning to end, and I was moved to tears on several occasions, esp. of course towards the end.

I find that the story is becoming a classic and a favorite of mine (and I intend to move on to the original book very soon). It is about the wages of cynicism; a tragedy where the wicked are justly punished by experiencing on their own bodies and souls the effects of their ruthless actions. It shows how people's actions have consequences, and how those consequences will eventually come full circle, to slap the perpetrators in the face. It is a movie about human nature, saying that cynicism goes against our nature and can destroy us all if running unchecked. A morality tale. A good and true one. A Classic.

My rating: 9 out of 10.

(P.S. Yes, of course Jo-Won *let* that guy stab him in the back. He was killed by his own conscience.)